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Around Town: Rivals unite

February 5, 2013

BY PAT ORR
Apple Valley Review

In an unexpected move last week, the two rivals vying to be chair of the county Republican Party will work together. When past Chairman Robert Rego took his name out of the running, everyone thought Assemblyman Curt Hagman was a lock. At the last minute, former 3rd District Supervisor Neil Derry decided he wanted to challenge Hagman for the chairmanship. Before the vote was held, soon-to-be State Party Chair Jim Brulte gave a short talk in which he stressed the need for a united, inclusive GOP.

Apparently the group listened. While they did barely elect Hagman as chairman, they came right back and elected Derry first vice-chairman and re-elected James Na of Chino as second vice chair.

Hagman quipped as he gathered Rego and Derry around him, “Let’s all pose for a picture together and drive the bloggers crazy.”

The hill this team has to climb to get the GOP back in the running in this county and the state is steep. Let’s hope this feeling of unity holds together until 2014.

Goodbye and hello

One thing I hate about the radio business is the way radio personalities to whom you have listened for years just disappear one day with no explanation. Of course we suspect they have been fired, died at the microphone or moved to a better gig. But no one ever says a word.

A week before Christmas, Steve Elliot — or “Stevarino” as he is better known — was given a permanent vacation by CBS Radio. Over the years, Steve and his many voices along with the “moldy oldie” format he headlined became a favorite among seniors and folks who like to understand the words to the music to which they listen. The economics of radio has pretty much done away with on-air “personalities” since it’s more profitable to run the same pre-programmed format on 60 stations to spread the costs.

It’s just a fact that the business has changed, particularly in small markets like ours. While I’m not authorized to steal his thunder, Steve assures me he and his many characters will be back on the air locally and he will be back playing the oldies his core audience has come to expect. You will have to watch and listen for the announcement of his return and he promises you’ll be able to listen in new ways to his new program.

Quick hits
• A bill has been introduced in the state Legislature to freeze all state college and university tuitions and wages at current levels for the seven-year life span of the new Prop. 30 sales tax. The goal, say proponents, is to force the governor to actually spend the new revenue on students as he promised and not
teachers or buildings. Good luck.

• With the news that California’s population will be more than 50 percent Hispanic come this summer, I have two questions:
1. Will Caucasian-Americans be called a minority now along with African-Americans?
2. Should I trade in my Rosetta Stone course in Mandarin for one in Spanish? What will the language of business be in California in the future?

• A recent study on California’s economy has found the average Californian’s individual credit card debt is $13,825. No wonder we don’t care about the national debt.

Pat Orr is a local business owner, community volunteer and political junkie.